Golf Rules We'd Keep, Kill, and Rewrite

What should never change about golf? And what should have been changed years ago?With the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills around the corner, Matt and the Professor crack open the Rules of Golf and start drafting their own version of the game. From lost-ball penalties and green-reading books to arm-lock putters, divots, and pace of play, they each pick the rule changes they love, the ones they question, the ones they'd like to see, and the ones they hope survive forever.What starts as a conversation about golf's rulebook quickly becomes something bigger: a debate about fairness, skill, technology, tradition, and what the game is actually trying to reward.What the conversation dives into:Why the 2019 Rules modernization may have been one of the most important pace-of-play initiatives in modern golfThe forgotten experiments with out-of-bounds penalties, including eras when stroke-and-distance didn't existWhether arm-lock putters, oversized grips, and modern equipment have drifted too far from the spirit of the gameThe case for enforcing pace of play as a competitive skill, not just a courtesyWhy "play it as it lies" remains one of golf's most important ideas, even when your ball is sitting in a divotThe original 1744 Rules of Golf, "watery filth," and the strange rulebook debates that shaped the game we play todayFollow The Bag Drop📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebagdrop 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/thebagdropgolf 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBagDropGolfListen to The Bag Drop🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xRWtUBJH8RazdLw14oaGH🎧 Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm/Join the NewClub community🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newclubSupport our Partners🐝 NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf🏌️ Titleist: https://www.titleist.com🌐 Golf Blueprint: https://www.golfblueprint.com Connect with Matt & The Professor🎙️ Matt Considine — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/📚 Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/Chapters0:00 - Intro 09:54 - Rule Changes We Love 12:34 - The 14-club limit and respecting the caddie 14:34 - Pace of play, red penalty areas, and 2019's biggest wins 17:21 - Flagsticks, green-reading books, and modern putting 20:28 - Rule Changes We Hate 21:32 - Touching the line of play on the green 22:48 - The case against stroke-and-distance penalties 27:59 - Would "distance only" make golf more fun? 28:20 - Rule Changes We'd Like to See 29:24 - Arm-lock putters, equipment limits, and putting skill 33:29 - Driver heads, shaft length, and equipment regulation 34:33 - Bringing back old rules and enforcing pace of play 40:33 - Rules We'd Never Change 41:15 - Why players should keep each other's score 42:08 - Play it as it lies and the divot debate 45:34 - The original Rules of Golf and playing your own ball 49:08 - Double hits, dropping from the knee, and modern quirksWhat is The Bag Drop?The Bag Drop features weekly stories from the culture, com